Work It : Cassandra Lichnock
A glimpse into the daily life of the California State Teachers ’ Retirement System ’ s CEO
BY Jeff Wilser PHOTO BY Wes Davis
To say nearly 1 million people depend upon Cassandra Lichnock is not an exaggeration . Founded in 1913 , the California State Teachers ’ Retirement System , or CalSTRS , provides retirement benefits to 975,000 members and beneficiaries . With roughly $ 319 billion in assets , it ’ s the largest educator-only pension fund on the planet .
In July 2021 , Lichnock became the first woman CEO in the fund ’ s history , promoted after serving as its chief operating officer since 2013 . How does she get it done ? Good delegation , keeping track of goals and focusing on the task at hand . “ It ’ s important to be present and engaged in each task or meeting , particularly when you ’ re in a leadership role ,” Lichnock says . And she always remembers the stakes . “ We have a great responsibility to secure the financial future of California ’ s educators , which is at the top of our minds every day — no matter what we ’ re working on .”
This is how she does it .
6AM - “ I have two cups of coffee . Exactly two .” Reads the news on a tablet ( The Economist , The Wall Street Journal , The Sacramento Bee ), reviews her calendar , obsessively checks email — which she does first thing every day , even on weekends and vacations . “ Maybe I ’ ll miss a day … if I ’ m not in the country .”
CalSTRS CEO Cassandra Lichnock in her waterfront office in West Sacramento .
7AM - Commutes from her home in Folsom to CalSTRS ’ headquarters in West Sacramento , using the time to make hands-free calls to coworkers .
28 comstocksmag . com | February 2022